Startarium PitchDay becomes “Romanians are entrepreneurs” and offers cumulative prizes of 100,000 Euros, non-refundable

The flagship event Startarium PitchDay announces the start of registrations for the fifth edition, which will occur under a new identity – Romanians are entrepreneurs. Romanians are entrepreneurs is a Startarium competition initiated by Hub Bucharest and ING Bank, supported by Pluxee. The new concept celebrates the national entrepreneurial spirit, brings the competition closer to the public, and encourages as many entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs as possible to enter to win cumulative prizes worth 100,000 Euros, non-refundable.

This year’s edition comes with a series of additional novelties: the introduction of new categories such as the popularity vote (“Your Idea”), where participants are invited to present their business idea through a video of a maximum of 60 seconds, but also categories dedicated to startup businesses and those with ongoing operations.

Romanians are entrepreneurs also simplify the application process: in the Your Idea category, any aspiring entrepreneur with a business idea they believe in can apply to win one of the ten dedicated prizes. For existing companies, the organizers of the event have created two distinct categories: that of startups (“Startup”), for companies between 1 and 3 years old, and that of ongoing operations (“Running ops”), dedicated to businesses with more than three years of activity.

“After a three-year hiatus of Startarium PitchDay, one of the most famous competitions in Romania dedicated to startups, we are happy to relaunch it under a new identity, but with the same goal: celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit, reconfirming the diversity and potential of good business ideas, startups’ efforts to turn ideas into successful businesses, and as proof that there are companies that have proven they can grow and evolve.

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Startarium, Romania’s largest entrepreneurial education platform, is here for all these entrepreneurs. Through the competition, together with our partners, ING Bank and Pluxee, we offer a launch pad, visibility, and prizes totaling 100,000 euros to those who make things move, from aspiring entrepreneurs to those who have mature businesses”, declared Vlad Craioveanu, CEO and Co-Founder of Impact Hub Bucharest.

The competition discovers business ideas, supports entrepreneurs, and celebrates successful businesses

Those who want to compete in the fifth edition of the Startarium competition are invited to apply on the dedicated platform (www.startarium.ro), until November 12.

To register in the category dedicated to popularity votes – Your idea, entrepreneurs will upload a video to the platform, which, once validated by the organizing team, will enter the stage of collecting votes. 10 prizes x 1000 Euro will be awarded to those entrepreneurs who will gather the highest number of votes, while the prizes dedicated to businesses in the Startup & Running ops categories will be offered based on a judging process. The decision will belong to a jury of Startarium mentors, businesspeople, and representatives of the corporate environment.

From the total entries, the jury will select 35 businesses in the Startup category and 21 in the Running Ops category, which will enter the semi-finals. On the day of the big event, 7 finalists from each category will go on stage Romanians are entrepreneurs who support the pitch in front of the jury, the public, and the media. Among them, the jury will select 2 winners per category, receiving total prizes worth 90,000 Euros, non-refundable.

The event also aims to celebrate successful businesses, bringing to the public inspirational stories of entrepreneurs with super potential, those future unicorns of Romania. Romanians are entrepreneurs will take place on November 29, at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

“ING supports the growth of startups and small companies and makes continuous efforts to provide them with customized, simple, relevant, and as far as possible, instantly available solutions through our ING Business digital channel. The financial health of clients is one of our main pillars, that’s why we support mentoring and consulting programs dedicated to entrepreneurs who want to grow their business. Therefore, we are pleased to resume one of the most important competitions for early-stage entrepreneurs in Romania, previously known as . We aim to build opportunities for all those who are or aspire to become entrepreneurs, both for those who have an idea that they want to turn into a business and for those who already have a promising business. We encourage as many as possible to enter the competition for the chance to win cumulative prizes worth 100,000 euros, to accelerate investments in their business, but also to enjoy an unparalleled experience,” said Serge Offers, Head of Business Banking, ING Bank Romania.

Almost 60% of Romanian entrepreneurs consider it difficult or very difficult to obtain non-refundable financing 

According to the research carried out in March 2023, by Impact Hub Bucharest and Startarium, with the support of ING Bank and Bravva Angels, Entrepreneur Profile, 93% of Romanian entrepreneurs use their own funds when starting a business, while only 7% come in supplementing budgets with grants, awards and sponsorships. Almost 60% of respondents find it difficult or very difficult to get grant funding. However, when asked what their priorities are for the next 6-12 months, 107 entrepreneurs said they aim to attract investment to help position and scale their businesses.

The new format of the Romanians are Entrepreneurs competition comes both as a response to the needs of business founders, who want quick access to financial resources, less bureaucracy, and efficient selection processes, but above all as a launching pad for those business ideas with potential, still undiscovered.

Romanians are entrepreneurs wants to inspire, to become a national spokesperson for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to make their dreams known. This year, the initiators of Startarium, Impact Hub Bucharest, and ING Bank Romania, are joined by Pluxee, as partners.

“We are happy to join the Startarium program, the largest entrepreneurial education platform in Romania, and the competition, as part of our strategy to support the SME community and the Romanian business environment. In the current economic context, we aim to be the same reliable partner for small and medium-sized businesses in Romania, which responds every day to their needs in a sustainable way, offering them access to educational resources and financing opportunities.

Starting this fall, Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services has become Pluxee, a change that opens a world full of opportunities through personalized and sustainable experiences for each of its collaborators. Thus, we support with over 600,000 euros the Startarium program and the project,” said Manuel Fernandez Amezaga, CEO of Pluxee Romania & Bulgaria.

Previous editions of Startarium PitchDay

The Startarium Pitchday event has already had 4 successful editions, organized between 2016 and 2019: 580+ entrepreneurs competed in the competition, 155 businesses were supported by providing exposure, growth tools, and connecting with an active community of investors and consultants, and 35 of them benefited from total prizes worth 450,000 euros. Among the winners of the 2019 edition are successful startups Digitail, Medicai și Kinderpedia. 

More details about the registration rules, the course of the competition, and the event can be found on the Startarium platform.